The Cutie Pox
by Dede42
Summary: Frustrated that she still can't get her cutie mark, Apple Bloom visits Zecora and learns about a unique flower that can make your deepest desire come true. When Apple Bloom arrives at school with a cutie mark, every pony is impressed, and then she starts developing more cutie marks. Can Applejack help her sister, or will she be stuck with Cutie Pox forever?
1. Chapter 1: BOWLING DISAPPOINTMENT

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Pox

A/N: Hey, Roleplayer48, Dr. Hooves is working on improving the first two chapters of the _Luna_ _Eclipsed_ rewrite as I write this, and on Wednesday I will replace the first two chapters. I don't know why Luna was acting so weird over the weekend, but she's wrong, so you can stop stressing out. See you, Wednesday! ;)

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: BOWLING DISAPPOINTMENT**

It was another nice day in Ponyville, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were heading to the local bowling alley with their bowling bags.

"Today's the day, Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Apple Bloom announced confidently. "I can just feel it! Today's the day we are all gonna get our cutie marks in… bowlin'!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Scootaloo cheered.

"Whooo!" Sweetie Belle tried to say, but her voice was muffled by her bowling bag, so she spit it out. "I mean, yaay!"

"Why, after today, we won't even be the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "We'll be the… the Three Strikes!"

Scootaloo wasn't too keen on that name. "That makes us sound like we've struck out," she pointed out.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. "Mmm. How 'bout the Pin Twins?" she suggested.

"But there are _three_ of us," Sweetie Belle reminded her.

"Okay then… Um… the Bowlin' Dolls!" Apple Bloom suggested.

Sweetie Belle nodded in approval "The Bowling Dolls! That's it!"

"Perfect!" Scootaloo agreed.

Apple Bloom was pleased. "All righty then! Let's bowl 'em over!" And they headed inside the bowling alley.

* * *

After paying for a lane, Sweetie Belle shoved her bowling ball down the lane, but before it could hit the pins, it ended up in the gutter. She shrugged and went to sit down while Scootaloo tried bucking her bowling ball, only to have it go flying all over the place and land in the gutter of the far lane. When the other ponies glared at her, she laughed nervously.

Apple Bloom stepped up to take her turn and, after trying a few times, grabbed her red ball and tripped when she tried to toss it, but her ball did start down the lane. "Phpoo!"

The ponies began cheering when the red ball knocked down all the pins. "A bowling cutie mark!"

"I did it! I did it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, getting up and looked eagerly at her flank, but there was nothing on it. "Blank?" She looked round and saw that a foal had gotten his cutie mark in bowling, which was why the gathered ponies were cheering. "But… but… what about my ball?" she wondered and looked to see that her red bowling ball was slowly rolling down the lane and it stopped, just barely touching the first pin.

' _No fair!'_ Apple Bloom thought sourly.

* * *

After trying to bowl a few more times, the Cutie Mark Crusaders left the bowling alley, and while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were chatting brightly about the experience, Apple Bloom was in a bad mood.

"That bowling sure was fun," Sweetie Belle remarked, "even if all I got was gutter balls."

"Yeah, at least you were able to keep your ball in your lane," said Scootaloo. "I don't think Mr. Kingpin is ever gonna let me play again!" She then zoomed ahead on her scooter and did both a jump and a perfect landing. "Hey, maybe I could get my cutie mark in demolition!" she exclaimed and both she and Sweetie Belle laughed.

When Apple Bloom walked past them with a grumpy expression, Scootaloo sped after her. "Aw, come on, Apple Bloom."

"I know just what you need to put the bloom back on your apple," said Sweetie Belle cheerfully, catching up with their grumpy friend.

* * *

It wasn't long before they had Apple Bloom seated at the counter at Sugarcube Corner and Sweetie Belle presented her with a cupcake. "A treat from Sugarcube Corner will cheer you up."

Apple Bloom pushed the cupcake aside. "No, it won't."

Exchanging a look, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle enlisted the help of Pinkie Pie, who quickly set up a party and they were soon blowing on kazoos.

"A party will cheer you up!" said the pink pony happily, and both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle blew party whistles.

Apple Bloom, who was wearing a party hat, shook her head. "No, it won't." And poor Pinkie Pie fainted in shock.

* * *

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle then dragged their grumpy friend to Carousel Boutique, where Rarity planted a feather covered hat on her head. "A lovely new chapeau will cheer you up."

Apple Bloom shoved the hat off. "No, it _won't,_ " she snapped and left the shop.

* * *

Scootaloo chased after the yellow filly. "Come on, Apple Bloom, it's just a cutie mark!" she called out.

"Or lack of a cutie mark!" Sweetie Belle added, racing after them.

Scootaloo hushed her. "Shh! That's not helping!" she hissed and then saw that their friend was heading into the Everfree Forest. "Apple Bloom! Where are you going?! Apple Bloom, come back!" And when she tried to after their friend, Sweetie Belle stopped her and shook her head.

They needed to give Apple Bloom some alone time, and since they both knew that Zecora lived in the Everfree Forest, they figured that the zebra would cheer their friend up…hopefully.

* * *

A/N: It can be hard to wait for something great to happen. R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: HEART'S DESIRE

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Pox

A/N: (Outside the writers' studio, Dr. Hooves and Sunrise Blossom chases Lyra around the backyard in order to get back the potions she has taken.)

Sunrise Blossom: Come back with those potions!

Lyra: They're mine!

Dr. Hooves: You stole them! Give them back!

Dede42: (watches all of this through the window and turns to the camera with a shake of her head) Hey, as you can see, Lyra is stealing again, and the good news is that the rewrite will go up sometime today for _Luna Eclipsed Rewrite_. Until then, enjoy this chapter of _The Cutie Pox_.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO: HEART'S DESIRE**

Entering the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom kept walking along the path that would lead her to the home of Zecora, but she was _so_ upset about not getting her cutie mark, that she wasn't watching where she was going until it was too late!

"Whoa!" she yelped as she tripped over a root and down a cliffside. "Ah! Ooh! Ow!" she moaned when she landed face first on the ground. Sitting up, she winced and covered her sore mouth with her hooves. "Nnnn…"

Having heard the noise, Zecora arrived onto the scene. "Well, who is it that we have here?" she asked when she saw the filly. "Why, it's Apple Bloom, my dear!"

"Ow…" Apple Bloom moaned, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"What has happened to you, youth?" the zebra inquired and nodded when the filly removed her hooves to reveal that she'd chipped a tooth. "Ah, you've gone and chipped your tooth. Come with me, I have just the trick that will fix you up quite quick."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were in Zecora's home, and the zebra was busy making a remedy to treat the chipped tooth while the filly complained about not having her cutie mark.

"I've tried everything, Zecora, and still no cutie mark!" Apple Bloom moaned, lisping because of the chipped tooth. "Well, I'm gonna be as old as Granny Smith and still have a blank flank!"

"Your frustration is well understood," Zecora said, adding ingredients to her caldron, "but one must be patient for all things good."

"Ugh, I've heard that from every pony I know!" Apple Bloom groaned. "And now from every _zebra_ I know! I'm just too impatient to be patient. I just want my cutie mark and I want it now!" she shouted, startling said zebra, who accidentally dropped a small pot containing herbs into the caldron, and the potion went poof! Leaving them both with smoke-covered faces, and the filly smiled sheepishly.

Zecora cleaned her face and the retrieved a wooden ladle. "For your cutie mark, you will have to wait," she said, stirring the potion before ladling some out into a small bowl. "We must fix that tooth before it's too late. Now drink down every little drop, and this mixture will mend that chip on top!"

Although uncertain, Apple Bloom drank up the potion and looked at her reflection. She beamed when her tooth was restored to normal. "Oh my star apples, you did it, Zecora!" she cheered and then looked around with interest at the various potions and ingredients needed to make them. "Golly, you have tonics that heal all sorts of ailments," she commented, seeing things that weren't at the Apothecary. "Bad bones, bad back, bad breath…"

"Yes little one, it is true," Zecora agreed, "I have many a healing brew."

"And not only stuff that fixes the bad, but stuff that brings the good!" the filly exclaimed. "Good health, good hair… good heavens! Hmm…" She sidled up to the zebra. "I bet you can mix up a brew to fix… _anything_." And she shook her flank suggestively.

Zecora wasn't about to fall for the suggestion. "There are many mixtures in this room, but none for what you want, dear Apple Bloom," she informed the filly, who pouted. "A magic potion does not hold the key. For a cutie mark, time is the only remedy." She then began mixing up ingredients in a bowl.

"Fine," Apple Bloom grumbled and watched the zebra work. "Whatcha got goin' on there?" she inquired.

"I am brewing up another mix for a rooster and his chicks," Zecora answered, her voice becoming muffled while sticking her head into a tall basket to reach something. "It seems the rooster has lost his crow," her voice returned to normal when she retrieved an unusual purple flower, "making mornings very slow."

"Hey, I've seen that flower bloomin' in Ponyville!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, having seen Sunrise Blossom collect it on occasion. "What is it?"

Zecora brought it over to the bowl. "It is one we call 'Heart's Desire'," she explained. "A dash will ignite the rooster's fire. With Heart's Desire, his talent comes into view, and he'll give a mighty cock-a-doodle-doo!" And she shook the flower over the bowl so that some of the heart-shaped leaves fell into it. She then set the flower down on the table and went to the shelves to get another ingredient.

"Zowie! Heart's Desire, huh?" asked the filly, eying the flower with interest.

Zecora searched the shelves and sighed, disappointed to find that she was missing a vital ingredient. "Ay me, but what is this? I have run out of amethyst," she grumbled and headed for the door. "I must go get this purple flower for my brew to have full power!"

Apple Bloom nodded vaguely, still looking at the flower with a smirk. "Yeah, you go, you go." She waited until the zebra was gone, she then snatched up the flower and raced out of the hut.

' _I bet I can use_ this _to get my cutie mark!'_ she thought, heading home.

* * *

The next day at school, the fillies and foals were outside on the playground for morning recess, playing, and they were looking forward to their morning snack.

"I'm so hungry," said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah, I can't wai-" Scootaloo began when Apple Bloom strolled past them. "Apple Bloom?"

When all of the fillies were looking at her, Apple Bloom swung her tail away from her flank, which caught the sunlight and briefly blinded them, and when their eyes cleared, they saw that she had a silver circle-shaped cutie mark on her flank.

"Aah! Apple Bloom! You got your cutie mark!" her friends exclaimed in shock.

How had their friend get a cutie mark overnight?!

* * *

A/N: Hmm, now how did Apple Bloom get her cutie mark? Post your guesses in the reviews. R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: TWO CUTIE MARKS!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Pox

A/N: Great news, Roleplayer48! I just replaced the first chapter of the rewrite for _Luna Eclipsed_ and I'm certain you're gonna like it! See you tomorrow with more!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE: TWO CUTIE MARKS!**

Apple Bloom proudly showed off her cutie mark and the fillies gathered around, trying to figure out what it was, other then a circle.

"Um, Apple Bloom… what is it?" Sweetie Belle inquired, eying the cutie mark.

"Yeah! Is it an 'o'?" Scootaloo asked eagerly. "Is your talent spelling?" And the yellow filly shook her head, still smiling.

"Or is it a ring?" Sweetie Belle guessed. "Are you a jewelry maker?" And her friend shook her head again.

Twist examined the cutie mark and made her own eager guess. "Or is it a powdered donut?" she asked eagerly. "'Cause that sounds delicious."

Apple Bloom shook her head again and produced a metal loop, which she put around her waist and got it spinning by shifting her hips. "No, it's a loop-de-hoop!"

"A what now?" Scootaloo inquired, perplex since she thought it was called a hula hoop.

"A loop-de-hoop!" Apple Bloom repeated, spinning the hoop. "'Least, that's what I always called it. Applejack made it for me from an old rain barrel when I was littler! Who woulda thought that loop-de-hoop would end up bein' my special talent?"

"Wow, Apple Bloom, that's amazing!" Sweetie Belle complimented, impressed.

However, Diamond Tiara wasn't impressed by the hula hoop talent. "That's it?" she asked scathingly. " _That's_ your talent?"

"Spinning a hoop around your waist? Puh-lease," Sliver Spoon scoffed.

Apple Bloom smirked. "Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet." She then proceeded to do a number of tricks with the hoop, including sending it flying to the flagpole, and when it spun down near the bottom, she knocked it back up into the air and caught it on her nose. Seeing this display, the foals cheered, and both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's jaw dropped in shock.

"Apple Bloom, you're super-duper-loop-de-hooper!" Scootaloo exclaimed, highly impressed by her friend's talent.

"Thanks, everypony!" Apple Bloom said cheerfully as the bell rang.

Cheerilee came outside and called out to her students. "All right, my little ponies, time for class!" But when they didn't come, she looked round and saw them watching Apple Bloom with awed expressions. She joined the group, watching for a moment as the filly spun the hoop on her tail. "Apple Bloom?"

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee?" Apple Bloom asked, looking at the teacher.

"I want you to take your loop-de-hoop into the yard… and give us all a lesson in your amazing loop-de-hooping!" Cheerilee requested with a big smile and the foals cheered, excited to learn how to do hoop tricks.

* * *

A few minutes later, the fillies and foals all had hula hoops and they were trying get them spinning around their waists while Apple Bloom supervised, giving them tips and encouragement while spinning her own hoop around her tail. When Snipes lost his hoop, she returned it to him with a smile, he smiled in returned, and then she turned her attention to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were struggling and tripping on their own hoops.

"Don't worry, gals," Apple Bloom told them smugly. "Keep at it and you might get to be half as good as me!" And she trotted away while they growled at her. She then reached Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who were struggling with their own hoops. "Great job, girls!"

Sweetie Belle shook her head glumly. "You're too kind, Apple Bloom."

"Yeah, we stink," Scootaloo agreed.

"Nah, you just need a little practice," Apple Bloom assured her friends and showed them several trick. "Soon you'll be able to… hoop and bop! Hoop and hop! Hoop and skip! And hoop and flip!" And the foals cheered when she was done.

Cheerilee laughed, impressed by her student's talent. "Show us some more, Apple Bloom," she requested.

"Well, all right, just a few more tricks," Apple Bloom agreed. "But be warned! These are _advanced_ moves, not for beginners. Got that, Diamond Tiara?" she added and Diamond Tiara growled. "I call this one the hoop-la!" She then began spinning her tail and the hoop faster and faster, causing it to become windy, and there was helicopter noises as she rose into the air, getting ten feet off the ground. Suddenly there was a flash of light and a second cutie mark, this time shaped like spinning plates, appeared on her flank, distracting her. "Huh?" she wondered and then she crashed to the ground with a pained grunt. "Oof!"

Diamond Tiara stared at the new cutie mark, having never seen two on a pony's flank before. " _Another_ cutie mark?" she exclaimed and then she scoffed. "Hah! I guess that last trick was a lot of hoopla. Those cutie marks are fake!"

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Twist all gasped and looked questioningly at Apple Bloom, who quickly got up to defend her cutie marks while wondering where the second one came from. "What? No they're not!"

Positive that she was right, Diamond Tiara went to the perplex school teacher. "Miss Cheerilee, have you ever heard of a pony with _two_ cutie marks?" she inquired.

"I must say that I never have," Cheerilee admitted thoughtfully, "but maybe Apple Bloom has two special talents!"

"Oh yeah?" Silver Spoon scoffed. "Then let's see you do that!"

Before Apple Bloom could say anything, Snips and Snails tossed her a pair of sticks and a pair of plates. "Spin plates! Yeah!" She caught the sticks and plates on the tip of her nose and found that she could indeed spin the plates, and the foals gasped in amazement.

" _Two_ cutie marks?" Sweetie Belle wondered.

" _Two_ talents?" Scootaloo wondered.

While spinning the plates, Apple Bloom resumed spinning the hoop on her tail as she trotted past her friends. "Aw yeah!"

"Our friend is the most…" Sweetie Belle began and was joined by Scootaloo "…special pony ever!"

"Alright, everypony, you ready for a _real_ show?" Apple Bloom asked, and the group nodded eagerly.

* * *

The school group headed into town and caught the attention of the ponies, who were amazed to see Apple Bloom had two cutie marks, and she put on a performance. The ponies cheered as she did different tricks with both the plates and the hoop, which she used to cut a circle out of the cloud that Rainbow Dash was sleeping on, and didn't even wake her up.

When Apple Bloom saw Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Sunrise Blossom, who been brought over by Sweetie Belle, she threw the hoop so that it spun really fast on the purple unicorn's horn before flying off, and Twilight Sparkle blinked when she saw that her mane now looked like Rarity's and she scowled while Rarity and Sunrise Blossom both fell over laughing and Spike got hearts in his eyes.

The performance drew the attention of Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applejack, and they were amazed to see the filly doing her tricks, especially when she spun the hoop around her neck and Granny Smith's neck.

Watching this, Applejack got an idea and she whistled to get her sister's attention before bucking into the air a large apple pie and a stack of plates. Apple Bloom caught them on her nose and she tossed them high into the air, where she used her hoop to slice the pie into neat slices. Firs the plates landed on the nearest picnic tables, and the pie slices landed on them. And the ponies cheered even louder at the performance while helping themselves to the pie.

* * *

That night the Apple family returned to Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack couldn't stop gushing about her little sister's two talents. "Yee-haw, little sis!" she complimented. "Congratulations on gettin' not just one, but _two_ cutie marks! We're mighty proud of you, right, Big McIntosh?"

Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup."

"I've never seen anythin' like it. Have you, Big Mac?" Applejack added.

Big Mac shook his head since it was a first for any pony. "Nnnope."

"Why, the way you were a-hoopin' and a-hoppin' and kickin' and spinnin' reminded me of when I was a spry young filly," Granny Smith remarked and struck a pose, only to have one her hind-leg cramp up on her. "Guh, charley horse, charley horse!" she yelped until Big Mac gave it a kick and her leg returned to normal. "Ooh, that's better."

Chuckling, Applejack turned to her tired sister, who was still spinning both the hoops and the plates. "Why, Apple Bloom, I think you're ready to hit the rodeo circuit right now!" she remarked.

"Actually, I'm ready to hit the hay right now," Apple Bloom admitted tiredly and headed for the stairs. "I'm plum tuckered. I'll see y'all in the mornin'. Night!"

"Night!" Applejack called after her. "Oh my, little Apple Bloom has finally blossomed, hasn't she, Big Mac?"

Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup!"

* * *

A/N: Anyone wanna guess while Apple Bloom can have two cutie marks? Post your guesses in your reviews and I'll see you all tomorrow! R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: TOO MANY CUTIE MARKS!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Pox

A/N: Yes, Roleplayer48, Tigger's song is stuck in my head, and I kept dreaming about Tigger dressed up for Halloween last night. So, the next installment for the rewrite will go up sometime today, and both Dr. Hooves and Sunny Bunny are still chasing Lyra around the backyard, so I'm kinda doing this on my own at the moment. Why Lyra keeps trying to steal the particular potion is beyond me.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR: TOO MANY CUTIE MARKS!**

Later that same night, Applejack was sleeping in her bed when a tapping noise woke her up. "What in tarnation is that?" she grumbled, getting out of bed and went out into the hallway. Following the tapping noise to her sister's bedroom, she entered to gave her a sister a piece of her mind.

"Apple Bloom, what is all that awful… tapping?" she began and gasped when she saw that her sister now had a red shoe-shape cutie mark on her flank. " _Three_ cutie marks?!"

"Help me!" Apple Bloom pleaded, unable to stop tap dancing, and she was still spinning the hoop on her tail and the plates on her head, unable to stop any of her three talents.

Applejack froze for a few moments, wondering how it was possible for her sister to have three different talents, and then shook her head to focus on the current problem and went to her sister's aid… well, she _tried_ to go to her aid. "C'mere, you!" She tried to grab the hoop with her teeth, only to end up getting hit in the face. She then tried to stop her sister's legs, but she got throw off. "Ow! Ow! Whoa!"

"I'm sorry, Applejack!" Apple Bloom apologized when her sister was sent tumbling backwards. "I dunno how to make it stop!"

Applejack got up, determined to find help for her sister. "Well, I know somepony who might!"

* * *

It took some effort, but Applejack managed to get Apple Bloom first to the Apothecary, where Sunrise Blossom was shocked to see the third cutie mark, and they all went to the library to see if Twilight Sparkle could assist in figuring out how to help the poor filly.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle stared in shock at the three cutie marks. "Three cutie marks. Three talents. I've never seen anything like it!" she admitted and went to a nearby book shelf. "I was just reading something about unusual equine illnesses," she informed them and looked for the book. "What was it?"

""Perplexing Pony Plagues", perhaps?" Spike suggested from the ladder, having found the book, and he leapt off the ladder.

"Yes, Spike, you're amazing!" Twilight Sparkle praised as he landed on her back with the book.

The baby dragon smirked. "Yes, well, I do have _some_ talents."

"Don't let it go to your head, Spike," Sunrise Blossom advised.

Magically taking the book from him, Twilight Sparkle put on her desk and she began flipping through the pages. "Hay fever… the trots…" she gasped when she found the right page, which had a drawing of different ponies covered with all kinds of cutie marks and looking scared. "Cutie pox!"

"Cutie pox?!" Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sunrise Blossom, and Spike all repeated, not liking the sound of that.

The purple unicorn and read the description. "Cutie pox. This puzzling pony plague afflicted a population of ponies back in the Paleopony Period!"

"Heh, say that ten times fast!" Spike joked and she bucked him off so that he crashed to the floor.

Twilight Sparkle read through the rest of the description and her expression became fearfully. "Random cutie marks appeared all over the ponies' bodies, causing them to perform all the talents that came with them!"

"Just like me!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, alarmed that this was happening to her.

"Yes, but what's the cure?" Applejack asked desperately. "What's the cure?!"

Sunrise Blossom went over to the book to look and exchanged a grim look with her twin. "It says here there's no known cure!"

"No known cure?!" Apple Bloom, Spike, and Applejack yelped, alarmed.

"The cause of the breakout was never discovered," Twilight Sparkle explained. "and the cutie pox disappears as mysteriously as they arrived!"

"Oh, no!" Apple Bloom moaned when a fourth cutie mark, shaped like a _fleur-de-lis,_ and she started speaking in French. _"_ _Sacré bleu! Plus de marques de cutie! Qu'est-ce c'est?! Je parle Français?!_ _(Darn it! More cutie marks! What's this?! I speak French?!)_ "

"My sister's speakin' in fancy!" Applejack yelped.

' _And of course nopony here knows how to speak French,'_ Sunrise Blossom thought with growing alarm.

"She needs help!" Twilight Sparkle yelped.

"I know she needs help!" Applejack exclaimed. "We can't just wait for this to go away! We gotta find somepony to mix up a cure! And fast!"

" _Tout de suite!"_ Apple Bloom agreed, at least the three ponies hoped that she was agreeing with them.

Twilight Sparkle got an idea. "Not some pony… some _zebra_!"

"Zecora!" said Sunrise Blossom and Applejack together.

* * *

Applejack, Sunrise Blossom, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike ran through the town with Apple Bloom, but it wasn't easy due to her talents slowing them down.

"Hurry, hurry!" Applejack called to her sister.

" _Dépêchez-vous!"_ Apple Bloom exclaimed when more cutie marks began appearing at a faster rate. When a Mallet and chisel appeared on her leg, she found herself doing sculpting. With a cap and chimney brush, she was doing chimney sweeping. Next she was playing the accordion, and then she was doing lion taming. Getting a chess cutie mark, she was playing chess.

The ponies watched with growing concern as Apple Bloom went past, fencing, and Spike was watching while eating popcorn. Seeing all this was scaring Lily Valley, Rose, and Daisy.

"She's cursed!"

"Hexed!"

"Enchanted!"

And as they said these things, Apple Bloom was tightrope walking and then she was hang-gliding.

"No, she's not," Spike corrected the three ponies, who let out sighs of relief. "She just has some weird mysterious disease with no known cure called cutie pox."

"Cutie pox?!" the ponies all yelped and they ran away screaming, hid themselves in the nearest buildings. "She's got the cutie pox!"

Sunrise Blossom glowered at the baby dragon, who immediately became sheepish. "Nice going, Spike."

Just then, Zecora arrived and she looked around at the empty streets, frowning. "I thought I had removed their fear the last time that I visited here," she remarked. "But doors are barred and shutters shut. Guess I should've stayed inside my hut."

"Zecora!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, happy to see the zebra. "Apple Bloom has cutie pox! We were just on our way to see if you had a cure!" And she nodded to the filly, who was now doing complicated math on a nearby chalkboard.

"But magically you're here!" said Applejack, relieved. "Was your zebra sense a-tinglin'?"

"My 'zebra sense' did not bring me round, it was a special flower that I needed found," Zecora explained, walking over to Apple Bloom, who was now lifting a 1,000-lb barbell with her tail. "I thought I picked enough to fix all the potions I had to mix, but after my visit from Apple Bloom, some had mysteriously left my room. Apple Bloom! What do you say? Did this flower just walk away?" she inquired.

"I, um…" Apple Bloom began when a pair of sponges appeared on her forehead, that already had cutie marks on it, and she zoomed over to the nearest window, washing them and scaring the ponies hiding behind the glass.

Sunrise Blossom went to the zebra, who was watching this with growing concern. "Every time Apple Bloom gets a new cutie mark," she explained, "she does the talent connected to it, and she's nearly covered with them."

Zecora nodded thoughtfully. "A cutie pox cure I have forsooth," she informed them, producing three yellow seeds from her bag and held them up with her tail, "for healing power is in the Seeds of Truth."

"Well, well then give 'em to her! Quick!" Applejack yelped when a tornado cutie mark appeared on her sister, who screamed in terror as she went spinning past.

"These seeds must be planted in the ground," the zebra corrected her. "With the truth, they'll grow, and the cure is found." And sighed when she saw the confused expression on the orange pony's face. "The Seeds of Truth _do_ hold the cure, but one must speak words, true and pure."

"I think Zecora means that the seeds need to be planted and somepony needs to tell the full truth in order for the flower to bloom," Sunrise Blossom guessed.

Now _that_ made sense to Applejack. "Well then let's get to it!" She bucked the seeds into the air, dug a hole with her hoof, and when they landed in the hole, she quickly covered them with dirt. "Alright, they're planted, now somepony tell the truth!" she ordered as Apple Bloom went spinning past because of a tornado cutie mark, still screaming. "Somepony! Anypony!"

Pinkie Pie, who'd poked her head out of Sugarcube Corner, gulped. "Yesterday I told Mrs. Cake that I ate two corn cakes, but I really ate three!" she confessed, but when the seeds didn't grow, she kept confess. "Okay, six! I ate six corn cakes!" She then cried when the flower still didn't grow. "Make it stop! Oh, make it stop!"

"Wah, I can't stand it any more!" Apple Bloom wailed when she stopped spinning and went back to tap dancing. "It's me!" she confessed and the ponies started coming out of hiding to listen as the seeds began responding. "I admit it! I didn't earn my cutie mark! They're all fake! I figured the Heart's Desire would help me get what I wanted most! So when Zecora left her hut, I mixed up a special potion and put the rest of the Heart's Desire in it!"

No sooner were the words spoken, then a beautiful white flower grew out of the ground and bloomed, making the ponies awed.

Apple Bloom quickly ate the flower whole and sighed when the cutie marks disappeared from her body. "Ahh." She sat on the ground, worn out as her friends ran over.

"Apple Bloom!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm great, and I've never been happier to be a blank flank," Apple Bloom replied, standing up and she apologized to them and to Zecora. "But I'm awful sorry I lied, 'specially to you gals. I was so desperate for my cutie mark, I just got carried away. And I'm really sorry I snuck those flowers from you, Zecora. Why, I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted me to come by again."

Zecora smiled and patted the filly on her head. "Now, Apple Bloom, do not be silly," she said reassuringly. "You are always welcome, my little filly. With each mistake you learn something new, growing up into a better you." And she then left to gather more of the Heart's Desire to get back to work on her potions.

Twilight Sparkle watched her leave and then looked back at the fillies. "Apple Bloom, would you mind writing to Princess Celestia and telling her what you've learned?" she requested.

"I'd be happy to, Twilight!" Apple Bloom agreed, having had learned a lesson. "Spike?"

Spike leapt to her side with a quill and parchment at the ready. "Ready!"

"Dear Princess Celestia," Apple Bloom began. "Waiting for what your heart desires can be really hard. So, you may try to take a shortcut. But this dishonesty never works, because you didn't _earn_ what your heart desired. The only cure is being honest with yourself and others. And that's something every heart desires."

Applejack hugged her sister, glad that the cutie pox had been cured. "I sure am proud of you, sis," she told her. "Seems like you finally learned the importance of patience."

"Yup!" Apple Bloom agreed, returning the hug. "ll good things come to those who wait." She looked at her friends and then made a decision. "Well! I've waited long enough." And her friends agreed. "Actually, that was _way_ too long."

" _What_?!" Applejack, Sunrise Blossom, and Twilight Sparkle all yelped.

Ignoring the three ponies, Apple Bloom walked away with her friends. "So what are we gonna do today to earn our cutie marks?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking," Scootaloo said thoughtfully, "for a pony who's never mixed up a potion before, you sure stirred up something fierce."

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed. "So what if your talent is potion making? You know, just like Sunrise Blossom.

"Oh my gosh, totally!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Let's go talk to Zecora, now!" And they ran toward the Everfree Forest, laughing and giggling.

Applejack watched them run off and shook her head. "What am I going to do with those three?" she wondered.

"Keep an eye on them and hope that stay out of trouble?" Sunrise Blossom suggested.

"Someday they'll see that waiting for their cutie marks to appear will be worth it," said Twilight Sparkle, snaking her head a little. "Someday."

"Yeah."

"Definitely."

* * *

A/N: Waiting patiently for something isn't easy, but if you do wait, then the results of what you're waiting for are generally fantastic. R&R everyone!


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